Adam
by Dragon Empress
Summary: When the aliens left for Antar, Liz went with her unborn baby to Seattle. Now, 8 years later, the Pod squad are back in Roswell and they're looking for the people they left behind. M/L M/M, maybe some I/K too. Please R&R, it's better than it sounds!
1. Welcome home!

VEGETA: Welcome all, to Dragon Empress' first ever Roswell fic! (Waits for applause, but receives none.)  
  
ME: Uhh, well, thanks anyway! Disclaimer!  
  
YEAH, I OWN ROSWELL. I KEEP JASON BEHR IN MY WARDROBE BETWEEN FILMING EPISODES AND PHOTO SHOOTS. HEH HEH, I WISH!  
  
ME: Now before I start, I have to warn you, there may be some OOC ness. So bear with me.  
  
It's story time!  
  
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Now, just to clear stuff up. About one year after fleeing Roswell at graduation, Max, Michael and Isabel went back to Antar to fight Kivar, leaving Liz, Kyle and Maria behind for their 'own safety'. After they left, Liz discovered she was pregnant and ran away to Seattle. Now, eight years later, the aliens have returned to Roswell and they're looking for the people they left behind.  
  
"Wow, it feels so good to be back in Roswell!" Isabel Evans' voice was loud and full of emotion. She, her brother Max and their surrogate brother Michael Guerin were walking along the Rowell high street again. And they were definitely glad to be home.  
  
"Yeah." Max was grinning from ear-to-ear. "I can't believe it. After all these years, I'm finally going to see Liz again!" His sister smiled wickedly.  
  
"Yeah, but will she be as pleased to see you as you will be to see her?" She asked him. He stopped walking and turned to face her. "What?"  
  
"Well, we have been gone for eight years." Her voice trailed off. Max glared at her furiously.  
  
"Don't think like that, Isabel!" He fumed. "She loves me, that's what counts!" He started to walk again, but at a faster pace. Isabel laughed.  
  
"Oh come on, Max! Can't I tease you a little?" He slowed down to normal walking pace.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry." He said. "It's just.after not being with her for eight years, I'm just a little," He struggled to find the word. "Tense."  
  
"Don't worry, Max. I understand." She turned to Michael, who had been silent through it all. "We all are. Right Michael?"  
  
"Yeah. Don't worry about it, Maxwell. We're all nervous, it's natural."  
  
The Crashdown café:  
  
Maria groaned and stretched. She was wiping the floor at the Crashdown, which was now closed for the day. Even though she was a successful songwriter now, and had written songs for loads of chart-topping bands, she still popped into the Crashdown to help out on some weekends. Mostly because she felt sorry for the Parkers. They just hadn't been the same since Liz had left for Seattle without giving an address of phone number. Hell, they didn't even know that she was pregnant, but Maria did. She and Kyle were the only ones Liz had told before she left. 'Wow,' Maria thought suddenly. 'Her kid, she'll be almost eight years old now. And I've never even seen the child.' She used the word 'she', but Maria didn't know what sex Liz's baby was really. She just always imagined that it would be a girl though. She smiled. 'I wonder if she looks like Max, or Liz?'  
  
The bell on the door of the Crashdown tinkled.  
  
"Go away." Maria said, not bothering to turn around. "We're closed."  
  
"Well then, I guess we'll come back later!" She spun round. Standing right in front of her, grinning like a fool, was Michael Guerin. " "Michael!" She ran up to him and embraced him in a tight hug. Then she pulled away and smacked him on the chest. Hard.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here? You've got some nerve, mister!" Michael grabbed his chest.  
  
"Ow! Jesus Maria, what kind of welcome is that?" He grumbled. "Didn't you miss me at all?"  
  
"Of course I did, Michael." She hugged him again. "But, why now? What are you guys doing back in Roswell?"  
  
"War's over, Maria." Max said from the booth he and Isabel were sitting in. "I gave up my title as king of Antar and we came home." He stood up. "Where's Liz?" Maria's eyes widened.  
  
"Liz, uh.well. Let me get Kyle over here first!" She walked over to the phone. "Boy, is he gonna be surprised!"  
  
The aliens watched in silence as Maria picked the receiver and dialled a number.  
  
"Uhh, hi, Mr Valenti! Is Kyle there?" Silence. "Can you get him on the phone, please?" Another pause. "Yeah, I can hold." She turned to the others. "He's in the shower." She tapped the counter impatiently and hummed a little to herself. "Kyle? Hi, it's me, Maria. How are you? Yeah, I know, but can you come down to the Crashdown quickly?" She listened. "Oh, it's definitely worth it. See you in five? Yeah, ok, bye!" She put down the phone and looked at Max. "He's just coming." Max looked at her strangely.  
  
"Ok, sure. But where's Liz?" Maria fidgeted nervously and avoided his eye.  
  
"Well, it's kinda a long story."  
  
Five minutes later:  
  
"WHAT?!" Kyle cringed.  
  
"I told you, she left for Seattle with your unborn baby." He frowned again. He'd only just arrived at the Crashdown to find the Pod squad there and already he was being bombarded by Max's furious questions.  
  
"Wha.how? Why?"  
  
"I don't know, Max. I guess she couldn't take it, y'know? It's kinda difficult to look after your half alien-hybrid baby while your husband's ran off to some crappy planet you've never even seen before." Maria spat angrily.  
  
"But, couldn't you have stopped her?" He asked. "Talked her out of it, or something?"  
  
"It's not that easy, Max. After she told us she was pregnant, she said she wanted to get out of Roswell, somewhere like Seattle. Then the next day she was gone." Kyle sat down next to Isabel and she hugged him in a friendly fashion.  
  
"Missed you, Kyle."  
  
"Yeah, I missed you guys too."  
  
"Well, that's it then." Max said, standing up so suddenly the others all stared at him. "I have to go to Seattle."  
  
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Me; Well, there you have it, folks. Chapter one is all finished! Now all you people have to do is review. Go on, you know you want to. And remember, this is my first Rowell fic, so be kind. No flames. I feed all flames to my little brother.  
  
Review! 


	2. Flashbacks

ME: Wow, I got lot's o' reviews for chapter 1! Thank you to all who reviewed last chapter, I hope you like this one too!  
  
ROSWELL. GREAT SHOW, DON'T OWN IT. 'NUFF SAID.  
  
ME: Ok, let's do this thing!  
  
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"I can't believe you got me involved in this, Max." Michael said from the passenger's seat of Max's new jeep as they sped along the highway. "Why did I have to come on your crazy, little road trip? Hell, why did any of us have to come?"  
  
"Because you're my friends, Michael." Max said, his eyes never leaving the road. "And I would do the same for you if Maria was the one who got pregnant, ran away to another state and her friends did nothing to stop her, at all." He pronounced the last two words very carefully. Maria's eyes flashed dangerously from her seat behind Michael.  
  
"Just what is that supposed to mean?" She demanded, a dangerous, steely tone taking control of her voice. "Well, Max?" Max looked at her for a split second, but then returned his gaze to the road.  
  
"You know exactly what I'm saying, Maria." "No, I don't think she does, Maxwell. What do you mean?" Michael glared at Max, his eyes dark. No reply. "Huh?" Again, Max didn't reply. He just stared straight ahead. Michael shook his head and turned to the desert. The next few miles were silent.  
  
Meanwhile, in Isabel's car:  
  
"Max isn't taking all this so well, is he?"  
  
"No, he isn't." Isabel shook her head. I can't believe the way he shouted at you and Maria! He acted, like a total moron back at the Crashdown." Kyle smiled sadly.  
  
"Yeah, but it must be a little overwhelming for him. I mean, he's been gone for eight years and returns to find the love of his life several states away with his child, his child he never even knew existed! I can't even begin to imagine what that feels like."  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's been hard for us all." Isabel said quietly. "When we reached Antar, we knew that we should never have gone. It just didn't feel right."  
  
Flashback:  
  
The spaceship doors opened, agonizingly slowly. The three of them waited impatiently for a glimpse of their home at last. It had been hard, leaving the ones they loved on Earth. But it was Max's idea, and if Max was to be king once again, Isabel and Michael decided that they'd better start taking his orders. But they didn't like it, not one bit. Michael hated it the most. Every time Max gave him a command, it reminded him of his brief stint as king, and how badly he screwed up. Swallowing the bile that had forced it's way to the back of his throat, Michael pushed the memory to the furthest corner of his mind. 'No sense in living in living in the past.' He told himself. 'It's a new start, where no-one but your best friends know about all your screw-ups. A new start, away from Earth.' He bowed his head slightly, trying vainly to hold back the painful emotions that threatened to surface.  
  
'Away from Maria.'  
  
As the doors finally opened, Max stepped forward and Michael and Isabel followed, into the unknown. But as they looked up into the unfamiliar sky and took a new breath, none of them could disguise the feeling.  
  
It just wasn't home.  
  
End flashback:  
  
Isabel shivered and then shook herself, remembering where she was. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, unaware of Kyle's alarmed stare.  
  
"Isabel?" He said softly, putting his hand on her forearm. She shuddered again and he dropped his hand, afraid that he had overstepped his boundaries. "Isabel?" He enquired again. "Are you alright?" She glanced at him briefly, and then went back to staring almost dazedly out the windscreen.  
  
"I had a flash." She replied. "Of when we landed on Antar. It felt so.real." Kyle saw she looked tired and worried. He placed his hand on her arm again, she looked at it, but didn't pull away. He smiled at her reassuringly.  
  
"Come on Isabel, you're probably just tired. Let me drive for a while." Isabel smiled at him.  
  
"Aliens don't need sleep."  
  
"I don't care, you need rest. He made her pull over and they changed places. She smiled at him again, grateful.  
  
"Thank you, Kyle."  
  
A couple of hours later, as they enter Seattle:  
  
At the first sight of the Space Needle dominating the skyline, Max took a sharp intake of breath. His nervousness had been building the whole journey, and as soon as he saw that, it jumped up to a whole new level. Questions plagued his mind but he kept a lid on them firmly. Eight years as king of Antar had taught him that a king should not be afraid. No, a king has to be strong. Breathing in deeply, he tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach that felt, to him, as if they were having one hell of a party down there. He looked over at his second-in-command, who was now dozing in the back seat with Maria.  
  
"We're here."  
  
"Duh." The response came from Maria, but Michael tilted his head to look at Max in acknowledgement. Max frowned. He didn't have time to deal with Maria's childishness. He had every right to be angry with her.  
  
Didn't he?  
  
Isabel's car again:  
  
Kyle head lolled slightly. He had been driving for hours with only one coffee to keep him awake. He slapped himself lightly, forcing himself to stay awake.  
  
"Kyle?" It was Isabel. Well of course it was Isabel. Who else was in the car with him? "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Really." Lie. He was exhausted. Kyle had only had about half an hours sleep the whole journey. But as he glanced over Isabel, who was falling asleep again, he felt it was all worth it.  
  
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ME: There ya go! Chapter 2 is all done. I hope Max didn't seem too OOC to you all, but he has changed in the eight years he's been away.  
  
Uhh, anyway, review! 


	3. Telephone books and big surprises

ME: Another chapter. Wow, I'm really getting these things out fast!  
  
I DO NOT OWN ROSWELL. FOR IF I DID, I WOULD SUE YOU ALL FOR RIPPING OFF MY SHOW!  
  
ME: Ok then, chapter 3!  
  
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"Maxwell, this is stupid. You'll never find her like that." Michael's deep, cut-glass voice pierced Max's ears, totally bursting his bubble. They were in a cheap hotel called the 'Classy hotel', though none of them could find anything remotely classy about it. It was a dump.  
  
Michael walked over to where Max was sitting with several, extremely thick Seattle telephone books. He sat down next to him.  
  
"Give it up, man. Thee must be hundreds of Elizabeth Parkers, or Elizabeth Evans in Seattle. It's pretty big city y'know." He sighed and ran his hands through his messed up, brown hair. "And what if she changed her name, or has an unlisted phone number?"  
  
"She wouldn't." But Max didn't sound so sure. "She just.wouldn't." Michael groaned impatiently.  
  
"Wake up, Max!" He grabbed his friend roughly round the shoulders and shook him. "You can't keep this up! It's crazy!"  
  
"Don't tell me what to do, Michael." Max shrugged his hands off, a steely glint in his eyes. "I'm going to find her and I don't care if I have to walk every street in this goddamn city to do so!" He slammed the phone book that was in his hands shut and stormed out the room. Michael sat stunned on the bed. Never, in all the years they had known each other had Max blown up at him like that. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and jumped.  
  
"Jesus Maria, don't sneak up on me like that!" He pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. "I hate this."  
  
"I know you do. We all hate seeing him so hurt. But it's not Liz's fault." She leaned up and kissed him. "She just needed to get away." Michael pulled her down onto the bed and held her close to him again.  
  
"I know." He said quietly. "No one blames Liz, not even Max."  
  
Max stormed out of the hotel, almost at a runner's pace. He couldn't believe that way he acted. Now he couldn't even justify the way he treated Maria in the car a while back. But they didn't understand, none of them could possibly ever understand how hard it all was. He hadn't even been in Roswell a day before he found out that Liz had gone off to Seattle. With his child, no less. What was he supposed to do? With a frustrated sigh, he sat down on the nearest stoop and put his head in his hands.  
  
What was he supposed to do?  
  
"Adam sweetie, come on. If you want to watch your cartoons we have to go home now." Max looked up, shocked. Across the street there was a children's playground, and standing at the gates was.  
  
"Liz." He breathed, hardly daring to believe it. There she was, just across the street. And standing next to her, was that his child? He looked at the boy. Yes, it had to be. Dark hair and dark, soulful eyes you could lose yourself in easily. Yes, that was he. Their son, his.son. He stared at the kid, who was totally oblivious to his father's presence. Wow. Max was pretty shocked at just how alike they were. If only the boy's hair was flat and a little longer, instead of the unruly spikes that stood straight up on his head. But apart from the different hairstyle, man, it was like seeing a junior clone of himself. And what was his name? Adam, was it? Yeah, that was it, Adam. Max smiled. He'd always liked that name. Not too flash, not too boring, it was perfect for the boy!  
  
Then across the street, they started to walk away from the park. Quick as a flash, before he even realised what he was doing, he got up off the stoop and followed them down the street.  
  
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ME: Yay, it's done! (Groans.) It took me ages to get this chapter right, so the least you people can do is REVIEW! 


	4. From the edge of the deep green sea

ME: Yay, I have many, many reviews! Thank you, nice people! Oh, and I apologise for the shortness of the last chapter, but it was late and I was tired!  
  
NO, I DON'T OWN ROSWELL, AND I DON'T OWN 'FROM THE EGDE OF THE DEEP GREEN SEA' EITHER. IT BELONGS TO THE CURE.  
  
ME: Alrighty then! Chapter 4.  
  
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"You followed her? What do you mean 'you followed her'?" Michael's loud, incredulous voice echoed all the way along the hotel corridors. Max cringed.  
  
"Keep it down, Michael!" He said quietly. "I don't want everyone in the building thinking I'm some kind of crazy stalker."  
  
"But you are."  
  
"No, I'm not!  
  
"Cut it out, guys!" Maria glared at then both, then turned to Max. "Alright, Max. What happened after you stalked her..."  
  
"I did not stalk her!" She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Fine. What happened after you 'followed' her?"  
  
"I've already told you, Maria. She went back to her house."  
  
"With the kid?"  
  
"Yeah." Max smiled. "He looks just like me, y'know." The others all looked at him. Then, Kyle said,  
  
"He?"  
  
"Yeah, it's a boy. His name is Adam." Max stared at Kyle, who looked suspiciously smug. Kyle turned to Isabel.  
  
"Alright Isabel, pay up! One hundred bones." Isabel frowned and reached for her purse. Max was confused.  
  
"You were taking bets on the sex of my child?" His voice took a slightly higher pitch. "I can't believe you!"  
  
"Oh, come on Max. It was just harmless fun!" Kyle replied.  
  
"Yeah, speak for yourself, Kyle." Isabel grumbled. "I'm a hundred dollars down!" Kyle snickered, but stopped abruptly when he saw the look Max was sending his way. He coughed nervously.  
  
"Uhh, anyway. What are you gonna do now, Max?" Max stood up and put one hand over his face in frustration.  
  
"I don't know Kyle. I just...don't know."  
  
"Well, now that you know where she lives, why don't you go talk to her?"  
  
"Do you think I should?" Michael put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah. I think you should go for it, man." He grinned. "I bet she'll be really glad to see you!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, really. Why wouldn't she be?"  
  
"Uhh, I don't know Michael. Maybe it's something to do with your being off the planet for eight years." Maria snapped from where she was standing next to Kyle. Michael glared at her.  
  
"Wow, Maria! I can't believe how supportive you're being!" He said sarcastically, his eyebrows creasing into a deep frown. "I mean, Liz is so lucky to have a friend like you!" He glared at her again, and was startled to see angry tears welling in her eyes.  
  
"You bastard!" She half-screamed at him. "Why don't you just fuck off back to Antar?!" She turned on her heel and ran out of the room. Kyle looked over at Michael.  
  
"Well." He demanded. "Go after her!"  
  
"No." Michael's voice was quiet, it was almost as if he was speaking to himself. The others stared him. Kyle was furious.  
  
"No?"  
  
"No." Michael repeated, firmer this time. Kyle stood up.  
  
"Well if you won't, I will." He walked out, leaving the three aliens alone in the room. Max looked at what remained of his friends.  
  
"Look at us, we're falling apart. I have to go see Liz." And then he, like the others, picked up his coat and walked out.  
  
Outside, on the 'balcony':  
  
Maria wept. The tears streaming freely down her face and onto the tiny window box the hotel manager had called a 'balcony'. Damn, how she hated that man. What exactly did he want from her anyway? She heard footsteps behind her and spun around, half expecting to see Michael standing there, but found only Kyle.  
  
"Hi, Kyle."  
  
"Hey." He stood next to her, overlooking the now darkening city of Seattle. "It looks really pretty at night, doesn't it?"  
  
"Hmm?" She wasn't listening. Kyle sighed.  
  
"Doesn't matter." He glanced across at her for a second then returned his gaze to the city. "How are you holding up?" She turned to look at him.  
  
"Look Kyle, as much as I appreciate this, I just want to be by myself right now."  
  
"Right. I understand." He made for the door, but paused halfway. "Remember, Maria, I'm here for you. I'll always be here."  
  
"I know." He smiled.  
  
"Just making sure." He whirled on his heels and walked off the balcony. Maria sighed heavily and put her head in her hands, her hands on the barrier. Almost automatically, her thoughts returned to Michael. In fact, she was so deep into thinking about Michael she didn't notice him hovering in the doorway of the balcony like a shadow. He stood like a statue, watching her start to cry again, his heart slowly breaking into a million, tiny pieces. Yeah he loved her, there was no denying that. Loved her more than anything else in the world, hell, the universe. But he just couldn't shake the feeling he had that it wasn't right. He didn't deserve her, he just brought her more pain. 'We should never have come back here.' He thought sadly, running his fingers through his hair slowly. He turned to leave, but the figure at the rail caught his eyes again and he...couldn't. It was like a physical force, holding him back, not letting him leave her. And as he watched her, it all came rushing back to him. What it was, he couldn't say, but it was definitely a feeling. A feeling stronger than love, stronger than anything he had ever felt before. In one fluid motion he walked across the balcony, swung Maria round and kissed her. The feelings spun round in his head, making him dizzy. He needed to pull away, but didn't. Nothing could stop it now, and he knew in that instant, that he could never leave her again.  
  
Across the street, someone turned on a radio and the first keys of a new song played.  
  
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I fall for her  
  
Wave after wave after wave  
  
It's all for her  
  
I know this can't be wrong I say  
  
(And I'll lie to keep her happy)  
  
As long as I know that you know  
  
That today I belong  
  
Right here with you  
  
Right here with you...  
  
And so we watch the sun come up  
  
From the edge of the deep green sea  
  
And she listens like her head's on fire  
  
Like she wants to believe in me  
  
So I try  
  
Put your hands in the sky  
  
Surrender  
  
Remember  
  
We'll be here forever  
  
And we'll never say goodbye...  
  
I've never been so  
  
Colourfully-see-through-head before  
  
I've never been so  
  
Wonderfully-me-you-want-some-more  
  
And all I want is to keep it like this  
  
You and me alone  
  
A secret kiss  
  
And don't go home  
  
Don't go away Don't let this end  
  
Please stay  
  
Not just for today  
  
Never never never never never let me go she says  
  
Hold me like this for a hundred thousand million days  
  
But suddenly she slows  
  
And looks down at my breaking face  
  
Why do you cry? What did I say?  
  
But its just rain I smile  
  
Brushing my tears away...  
  
I wish I could just stop  
  
I know another moment will break my heart  
  
Too many tears  
  
Too many times  
  
Too many years I've cried over you  
  
How much more can we use it up?  
  
Drink it dry?  
  
Take this drug?  
  
Looking for something forever gone  
  
But something  
  
We will always want?  
  
Why why why are you letting me go? She says  
  
I feel you pulling back  
  
I feel you changing shape...  
  
And just as I'm breaking free  
  
She hangs herself in front of me  
  
Slips her dress like a flag to the floor  
  
And hands in the sky  
  
Surrenders it all...  
  
I wish I could just stop  
  
I know another moment will break my heart  
  
Too many tears  
  
Too many times  
  
Too many years I've cried for you  
  
It's always the same  
  
Wake up in the rain  
  
Head in pain  
  
Hung in shame  
  
A different name  
  
Same old game  
  
Love in vain  
  
Land miles and miles and miles and miles and miles  
  
Away from home again.  
  
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ME: Well, there you go, my M/M chapter. And I do apologise if it was too slushy for anyone, but I quite like it. Anyway, review! Next chapter, Max and Liz meet again after eight years apart! 


	5. Why Liz hates Fridays

ME: Wow, great response to the last chapter! I'm surprised at how many reviews I've gotten so far. I never get this kinda response with any of my other fics. Uhh, anyway, DISCLAIMER!  
  
YEAH, I OWN ROSWELL. SO BITE ME. NAH, I'M KIDDING! SERIOUSLY NOW, I DON'T OWN IT.  
  
ME: On we go!  
  
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Max walked briskly down the slowly darkening street. Even though he'd only been down it once, he knew exactly where he was going. He had the map to Liz's house down in his brain like an...uhh, map of some sort. But that didn't matter! He just had to go to her house and convince her and their son to go back to Roswell with him.  
  
Easier said than done.  
  
*Ding Dong!* Max stood impatiently outside her door. He was somewhat pleased to see the name 'Evans' on the brass doorplate. To him, it meant like he still had a chance. He heard indistinct murmuring behind the door, the sound of a chain sliding and the click of a key. He braced himself, taking big, deep breath as the door swung open.  
  
"Max?!"  
  
Back at the hotel:  
  
Kyle and Isabel sat in companionable silence watching the tiny TV that was in Kyle's room. They didn't know where Michael and Maria were, but to tell you the truth, they didn't really care. Whenever those two fought, outside interference definitely didn't help their already somewhat volatile relationship. So, on a Friday night, the only two single members of the pod squad (Max never considered himself single, even though he hadn't seen his wife in eight years.) were sitting in a dingy hotel room watching the 'Frasier' marathon and drinking past-it's-sell-by-date apple juice Kyle found in the room's fridge.  
  
"Man, Frasier sucks." Kyle announced after watching thirty seconds of the episode.  
  
"Well don't watch it then." Isabel replied, not taking her eyes off the screen.  
  
"Nah, I'll keep watching. You never know, it might get better."  
  
"It won't."  
  
"Ah well, what can you do?"  
  
Now, back to Max and Liz:  
  
"Hi Liz, uhh...long time no see." Idiot! Max almost slapped himself. 'Long time no see?! What the hell? Stupid, stupid, stupid!' His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Liz's startled, but not pleased-sounding voice.  
  
"Max? What the hell are you doing here? Why aren't you on Antar playing toy soldiers against Kivar?" Max winced. That hurt.  
  
"Look Liz, I know you're upset..."  
  
"Upset?! Oh, I'm more than upset Max! You left me, in the middle of the night, without one word of your departure! How do you think that made me feel? Huh?" She yelled at him. He tried desperately to calm her down as some of her neighbours were starting to look out their windows.  
  
"Liz, ssh, please..."  
  
"No, Max! What are you afraid of what the neighbours think? I'll stand out here and yell all day if that's what it takes to make you leave!" Max blinked.  
  
"Did you just say, did you just say that you wanted me to leave?"  
  
"Did I stutter?" Her tone was harsh and unforgiving. Max noticed that the neighbours weren't just looking out through the net curtains, they were standing out on their doorsteps to see what all the commotion was about. He decided that it would be a good idea to go inside. He looked into her eyes.  
  
"Liz, please, can we go inside and talk about this?"  
  
"What? No way!" She made to slam the door in his face, but he jammed his leg in between the door and the frame.  
  
"Please?" Her ice-cold stare softened for a second and looked indecisive. Then she said,  
  
"Fine, get in." She stepped back to let Max in."  
  
"Tha..."  
  
"Just shut up and get in!" She slammed the door behind them and led Max towards the living room. She sat down, but made no move to offer him a seat. When he tried to sit next to her and take her hand she moved across to the other chair.  
  
"I said you could come in, I didn't say I wanted you to touch me." His face fell and he twiddled the wedding band on his left hand nervously. For a while there was a tense silence, then Max spoke up.  
  
"I missed you."  
  
"Save it, Max. All I want is an explanation as to why you're here, then I want you leave."  
  
"I wanted to see you again, Liz. I gave up my position as king for y..."  
  
"Oh, wow Max, that's just super! But I didn't know you'd be back so soon, so the marching band wont be here until tomorrow!" Max winced again at the heavy sarcasm in her voice. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but pain and hatred. He stood up and sat down beside her. This time she didn't move chair, but shifted along so they weren't touching. His face fell even more.  
  
"Liz, please, stop it." God, he sounded pathetic.  
  
"Stop what, Max?"  
  
"You know. Just stop it."  
  
"Stop what, Max?"  
  
"Pushing me out of your life." Liz turned to face him again, tears shining in her eyes. She still looked furious though.  
  
"What!?" She stood up quickly. "I thought you were already out of my life, Max. You went out of my life eight years ago."  
  
"Not because I wanted to though, I had a duty to the people of Antar..."  
  
"Oh, and you didn't have a duty to me, your wife? No, I don't suppose you did. After all, you didn't think anything of disappearing into the night and leaving me alone in some crappy hotel in some redneck town in Alabama. Pregnant, no less." She smiled wickedly at his reaction. "But you didn't know that did you? You didn't exactly hang around to find out!" Max looked down at his knees.  
  
"No, I didn't know then, but I do now. Maria and Kyle told me. They're here too y'know, and they want to see you." This time it was Max's turn to enjoy the others reaction as Liz paled considerably and sat down again.  
  
"What do you want from me, Max?" The anger was gone from her tone and she sounded desperate. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"  
  
"Because I love you and want you to come back to Roswell with me." He reached out and took her hand. This time she didn't flinch or pull away.  
  
"You know I can't do that."  
  
"Why not? Judging from what I've seen of this neighbourhood, you don't have much of a life here."  
  
"I can't, Max. It wouldn't be fair on Adam, he's lived his whole life in Seattle."  
  
"He'd get used to Roswell, in time." His grip on her hand got tighter. "Don't you still love me?" He watched her sadly as she turned away and stared down at the dark blue carpet.  
  
"Yes, I do, Max. Of course I do."  
  
"Then come back with me." He kissed her hand. "Please? I want us to be a family, a real family."  
  
"I...I'm not sure. I mean, how do I know that you wont just leave again?" She looked at him, and he looked back. For a second there was nothing, then he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.  
  
"I promise you, I wont ever leave again." He drew back slowly, trying to make the moment last as long as possible. When he looked into her eyes again, he saw that (Most of.) the hatred was gone.  
  
"Ok." She said, still staring into his deep, dark eyes. "I'll go back with you." Max's face split into a huge smile.  
  
"On one condition." The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come.  
  
"What's that?" He asked.  
  
"You have to tell Adam."  
  
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ME: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cliffhangers are evil, aren't they? 


	6. Father meets son

ME: (Sitting in a throne, watching several people hanging over the edge of a big cliff.) Heh, heh, heh, I do love cliffhangers!  
  
NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! I DON'T OWN ROSWELL!  
  
ME: (Still watching.) On with the chapter!  
  
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Creak. The door opened slowly on its rusty hinges. He was sitting with his back to the door, playing with his little plastic ninja figures. He had heard the door opening but didn't bother to turn around. He knew who it was already. He could feel people near him without needing to see them.  
  
"Hi, mom." (Adam's American, so he would say 'mom' and not 'mum' like I do.) Hi-yah! His little blue ninja kicked the purple one in the stomach. "Is it time for bed already?" Whack! The purple ninja struck back by whacking the blue one over it's head with a pencil.  
  
"No, sweetie." Silence. She was nervous. Then, "I need you to come downstairs for a second." He put his ninjas down and turned to look at his mother.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just...because." Another brief, awkward silence. "I need you to meet someone." He looked up at her curiously, the ninja battle now forgotten.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You'll see when you go down into the living room."  
  
"Oh, ok mom!" His childish curiosity peaked, he jumped to his feet and ran down the stairs. Or, he would have run down the stairs if his mother hadn't grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt as he ran past.  
  
"Walk down the stairs, Adam. You don't want to slip and hurt yourself now, do you?"  
  
A sigh. "No mom, I don't." He looked up at her, hopeful. "Can I go now?" Liz smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah, go on." She ruffled his spiky hair affectionately and he yelped in protest.  
  
"Watch the hair!" He mock-frowned at her and then walked as fast as he could down the stairs, with Liz right behind him.  
  
"So, mom. Who's this perso..." Adam stopped short as he entered the living room. He couldn't believe it. "Dad?" His voice was shocked, disbelieving. Max smiled at him reassuringly.  
  
"That's me." Adam looked back up at his mother, she was also smiling at him. But, he noticed, her smile looked more forced, more stressed than his father's. He looked over at the man sitting in the chair again.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to say hi to your daddy?" The man, his dad, seemed to be getting impatient. What was he supposed to say? Oh, hi dad! Nice of you to join us after eight years alone! He looked at his father, seeing the glimmer of hope in his eyes. Then back to his mother, her smile couldn't quite conceal the years of pain she had endured without him. Where was his dad when she cried herself to sleep at night, thinking he was asleep in his room across the hall? He looked again at 'daddy' and made his decision. A decision that a child his age should never have to make.  
  
"No." Then he turned and walked out the room.  
  
Max almost fell out of the chair. Safe to say, he was pretty upset. Well, upset probably isn't a strong enough word. He was devastated, his own son had rejected him. Liz saw the look on his face and went and sat beside him. She took his hands in hers.  
  
"I'm sorry, Max. But you have to understand how hard this is for him."  
  
"He, he said no. How could...why? Why would he do that?" Liz crumbled inside. It was as if Max had reverted into a small child right in front of her eyes. He was lost, there was no denying that. Like the child at the airport who's parents have got on the plane without him. It was borderline pathetic. A grown man reduced to tears by a seven-year-old boy. And not just any seven-year-old boy, his own son.  
  
"Well, Max, what did you expect? He's never even seen you before, well only in a photograph. And even so, it was group photo and you're at the side. He took it better than I though he would, actually." Max looked at her curiously, though he was till crying.  
  
"Huh?" His voice was thick, like he couldn't seem to get the words out well. "You have a photo?"  
  
"Yeah, of the group. Remember, we got that weird guy in Arizona to take a group photo of the six of us about a month before you...left."  
  
"No." Liz sighed.  
  
"Oh, well. I can show you it if you want." He only looked half-interested, but agreed anyway.  
  
"Ok, where is it?" Liz got up and went into the hallway. He heard her rummaging around in a box or something, then a loud snap and she came back through with the photo in her hand.  
  
"Here." Max looked at it, and instantly remembered.  
  
Flashback:  
  
"Aww, come on Michael, you have to be in the photo!" Maria whined and tugged on Michael's sleeve. He struggled for a bit more then, with a heavy sigh, complied with her wishes.  
  
"Fine! But just one photo, mind. Then we're outta this dump." Maria groaned in mock-frustration and dragged her boyfriend over next to the others. It was Maria's idea, naturally, to have a group photo taken. And whatever misgivings the others had about them all being photographed together, they hid them underneath their cheery smiles as they posed for the photo. Maria gave the signal to the weirdo Max had, probably unwisely, loaned his camera to for this occasion. The flash went off, and the moment was recorded forever.  
  
End flashback:  
  
Max smiled a little and looked at Liz.  
  
"I remember now. The jerk tried to run off with my camera!" He stared down at the photo he held in his hands. "Wow, I can't believe you've kept this all these years." He laughed quietly, but Liz didn't.  
  
"It's the only link I have to life back in Roswell." Max looked back at her, all the laughter gone. He hugged her tightly.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'll probably never, ever be able to tell you just how sorry I am." He held her close to him, as if letting her go would make her disappear. And Liz, strangely uncomfortable in the man, who she was once was so sure was her soul mate's arms, was even more lost then he was.  
  
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Me: It is done! Now, I've had a couple of reviews from people who think Max has been let off too lightly about the whole abandoning-of-his-family- thing. Let me assure you, right now, that he definitely isn't gonna get off easy on this one.  
  
You'll see...  
  
Now review! 


	7. Guilt trip

ME: Hmm, nice response so far. I like that! But seriously now, I wasn't lying when I said Max isn't going to get off lightly.  
  
VEGETA: Get on with it!  
  
ME: Right, disclaimer!  
  
HMM, THINK ABOUT IT NOW. IF I OWNED ROSWELL, DO YOU THINK I'D BE POSTING THIS ON FF.NET? HELL NO!  
  
ME: Now, on with chapter seven!  
  
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Thud. Thud. Thud. The ball bounced back and forth off of the wall. It was really late, but Adam wasn't tired. He just sat on his bed, facing the wall, throwing and catching the little, round, red ball. Creak. The door opened to the left of him. He knew instantly who it was.  
  
"Go away, mom." He said quietly. "I don't wanna talk to you." Liz sighed and sat down on the bed next to him.  
  
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I shouldn't have sprung that on you, but I thought you'd be happy."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me he was here?" Thud. Thud. Thud. He still didn't look at her.  
  
"It was meant to be a surprise."  
  
"Yeah, it was great. Best surprise I ever had." The sarcasm was evident in his tone, though it didn't sound quite right in a seven year olds voice. And he still wouldn't look at his mother. She sighed again.  
  
"Why are you so upset over this?" This time he did look at her. His dark eyes were wet with unshed tears and it was obvious that he had been crying not long before she had came in.  
  
"Because I want to be." His face was suddenly animated by childish impudence. "And because I hate him." Liz acted surprised, but so wasn't. Of course he would act like this, he was brought up in one of Seattle's poorer areas with nothing left of his father but a photograph and his mother's bitter memories. What? Well, what was she supposed to tell him? That his dad was a big, great hero who went off to another planet because he genuinely wanted to help and nothing more? Oh, come on! It was a total control freak moment on Max's part. Well, that was what Liz thought at least. And she wasn't going to lie to her son.  
  
"You don't mean that, Adam. You know you don't mean it."  
  
"I do mean it!" He was still defiant. Liz groaned and put her head in her hands for a moment. This was getting nowhere. Finally, she came to a decision as of what she was going to do.  
  
"Adam." She said softly. "I understand you're upset. I just thought that maybe you loved me enough to give it a try with your dad." This time it was Adam's time to groan.  
  
"Aw, come on, Mom! Don't make me feel all guilty." He threw the ball against the wall again. Then said, "Fine. I'll talk to him, that's all. But don't think that I hate him any less 'cos I don't." Liz hugged him tightly.  
  
"You're a good boy! Now, can you pack your own suitcase or do you want me to do it?" He looked at her, confused.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well, when I was talking to your dad downstairs, I said we'd move back to Roswell with him."  
  
"No! That's too far away! What am I gonna do about school and stuff?"  
  
"You can go to school in Roswell, sweetie." She smiled at him before quickly adding, "And I promise, if it doesn't work we'll move straight back to Seattle." He frowned heavily at her.  
  
"I don't wanna go!"  
  
"Adam!" Her tone was sharper this time. "I know you don't want to go, but you don't always get what you want. And I know you'll really like it in Roswell, it's great."  
  
"So great you ran away from it?" Liz stopped, he had her there.  
  
"Well, that was different. I had to leave." She hugged him again. "Just try it, please?"  
  
"Alright, I'll go to stupid Roswell. But I'm doing this for you, not 'him'." He pulled away.  
  
"I know. It's okay."  
  
"Good."  
  
Back at the hotel:  
  
"Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored!" Kyle droned unenthusiastically. "How long is Max gonna be?"  
  
"I don't know." Michael murmured from where Kyle's bed, where he was sitting. Maria was sitting down on the floor at his feet and Isabel and Kyle were sitting on the cheap-looking chairs the hotel had 'generously' provided. Max had been gone for like, five hours and everyone else was getting really, really fed up with all the waiting. The Frasier marathon had finished about an hour ago, so it was more of a 'mini-marathon'. Now they were watching the weakest link.  
  
"Man, that Anne Robinson is evil!" Kyle exclaimed suddenly. The others looked at him.  
  
"Wow Kyle, you're so quick!" Maria said, but he could tell she wasn't serious. "Nothing gets past you, huh?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Is that your final answer?" Michael quipped. Maria whacked him with the pillow she sitting on.  
  
"That's who wants to be a millionaire, spaceboy!"  
  
"I know." He said defensively. "It wasn't a joke." Maria rolled her eyes.  
  
"Sure it wasn't." There was silence for a while, then Kyle said,  
  
"We watch too much TV, don't we?"  
  
"Yeah, but what else is there to do?" Maria asked him.  
  
"Good point." He turned back to the TV. For a while, there was nothing but the sound of Anne Robinson's evil voice. But about five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It creaked open slowly and Max popped his head round. Everybody jumped up to meet him.  
  
"Max!"  
  
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ME: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The cliffhanger strikes again! So you'd better review, or I'll keep you all waiting even longer! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 


	8. Leaving town

ME: Ooh, suspenseful! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Anyway, it is time for chapter eight, making this fic the longest one I've even written, YAY! (Does a little celebration dance.)  
  
VEGETA: Ahem.  
  
ME: (Stops dancing.) What? Oh, right, the disclaimer!  
  
DO I RELLY NEED TO DO THIS FOR EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER? I THINK IT'S PRETTY CLEAR BY NOW THAT I DON'T OWN ROSWELL. WELL, I DON'T OWN RIGHT NOW ANYWAY...  
  
ME: Okay then, story time!  
  
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The four of them leapt out of their seats and charged at Max. Bombarding him with their endless questions.  
  
"Did you find Liz, Max?"  
  
"Is she with you?"  
  
"What about the kid?" Max put his hands up to stem the flood of questions.  
  
"Yes, I found her. And Adam." He said slowly, making sure he had everyone's attention. "No, she's not here right now, I said we would pick her up on the way back to Roswell tomorrow. Okay?" He lowered his hands. "I'm going to bed." Before they could ask him anything else, he spun on his heels and left the room. Kyle, Isabel, Maria and Michael all looked at each other, bemused.  
  
"What's eating him?" Kyle asked.  
  
"No idea." Maria replied. Her eyes lit up, excited. "But we're gonna see Liz again tomorrow!"  
  
The next day, lunchtime:  
  
Adam sat alone on his bedroom floor. He stared at the bare walls, where all his posters used to hang. The corner where his toy-boxes once lay. His bed, now totally stripped of his sheets. He sighed, it looked so empty now. Downstairs, he could hear the sounds of his mother's frantic last-minute packing. His suitcases were already done.  
  
In his hands, there was the plastic box he kept his ninjas in. He was allowed to keep one toy out of the suitcase for the long journey back to Roswell and the ninjas were his favourites. There were ten of them, all different colours. When he was four he'd selected them from the toy store himself, instead of toy more suited to a child that small. But the thing he loved most about them was the face that he could make them move without ever touching them. It wasn't just the ninjas though, as Liz had found out when he was very small, he could make anything move, just by thinking about it. Willing it with his mind. Not like he understood why or anything, just that he could. And that wasn't all he could do.  
  
Flashback:  
  
Liz sat on the couch watching TV as a three-year-old Adam played with his toys on the ground near her. It was a funny, little clown toy that squeaked in you pressed its nose. His mother hated the thing, it was really annoying but Adam loved it. He would sit with the scary thing for hours just pushing the nose. Endless amusement, if you're three.  
  
Suddenly, there was a fizzling sound coming from the back of the TV set. Liz got up to check it out, but Adam grabbed her trouser leg.  
  
"No, mommy. It's bad." Liz looked at him curiously.  
  
"Bad? What's bad, sweetie?" He pointed his finger towers the TV set, then looked at her, and for a moment, his dark eyes looked very much like someone else's...  
  
"TV's bad, it'll boom." He kept staring at her in the scarily haunting way. "Don't go see. It'll boom." She smiled at him reassuringly.  
  
"Don't be silly, it'll be fine." She turned back to the TV again but he kept his hold on her leg.  
  
"No!" Boom. The set exploded. Shattered debris covered the carpet and twisted pieces of hot plastic and glass were stuck to the walls. Liz just stood there, shocked beyond belief with Adam still clinging onto her trouser leg. She looked down at him, mouth agape.  
  
"See? Boom." Was all he said before going back to play with his clown.  
  
End flashback:  
  
He shuddered a little as the flashback left him as quick as it had came. That was another thing he didn't understand. Sometimes pictures would pop up in his head just by touching things, or thinking too hard. A knock at the door shook him out of his reverie. Liz stuck her head round.  
  
"Come on, Adam. Your dad'll be here any minute now." He got wearily to his feet and took one last, long look at what was once his bedroom.  
  
"Goodbye." He whispered softly, and then walked out.  
  
Liz stood at the foot of the stairs, a suitcase in her hand and another at her feet. She smiled reassuringly at her son as he trudged down the stairs, seeming to move as slowly as humanely possible without going in reverse. He looked at her pleadingly.  
  
"Do we really have to go?" She dropped the suitcase and went over to him and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Ding-dong! The doorbell distracted them. Liz stood upright and walked over to the door. Then, taking a very deep breath in the process, she swung the door open. And there, after eight years apart were all her friends.  
  
But only half the people she'd left behind.  
  
For a moment nobody moved. Then, as was expected, Maria squealed, run up to Liz and hugged her like crazy.  
  
"Oh my God! I can't believe it!" She said finally, after squeezing all the wind out of her friend. She turned to Michael. "Spaceboy, did you bring my cedar oil?" He grinned.  
  
"Yeah, it's in the car, I'll get it." He smiled at Liz. "Nice to see you again, crystal ball." He walked back to the cars. Liz couldn't help but smile, it was as if nothing had changed at all. No actually, one thing had definitely changed. Maria looked past Liz for a second, in the direction of the small person standing nervously at the stairs.  
  
"Is that..." Liz nodded her head.  
  
"Yep. That's my boy, Adam. Come on, sweetie, say hi to my friends." He slowly walked forwards to stand at the doorway next to his mother.  
  
"Hi." He said, very unenthusiastically. Maria didn't seem to notice though, she was already squealing about how cute and adorable he was.  
  
"...And he looks just like Max too, doesn't he?" She turned back to the others, who all nodded in agreement.  
  
Soon, after the reunion was long over and everyone had gotten over how alike Max and Adam were. They were back in the cars and heading out of Seattle. Max, Liz, Adam and Maria in Max's car, Isabel, Kyle and Michael in Isabel's car. Max had done all he could to get Adam to like him more by offering him the front passenger's seat, to which the child had grudgingly complied but still looked like he'd much rather be somewhere else. He just sat, staring out of the window, while his mother and her best friend caught up in the backseat.  
  
"So, do you like baseball?" He looked over to his dad. Poor guy was obviously trying hard to get to know his own son, but so far the results were negative.  
  
"Yeah, it's alright." He said slowly. "But I prefer basketball."  
  
"Do you play?"  
  
"Yeah, or at least, I did play. Until you turned up." Max's face fell and Adam went back to staring out of the window. He knew he'd hurt his dad, but what was the point in pretending he wanted to be here? He hated everything about the whole situation, including Max and all his friends. For all he knew, they could all up and leave one day too, and how on Earth would his mother cope with that? Ignoring all his father's attempts at conversation, he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the rain beating off of the window.  
  
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ME: Whew, long chapter! REVIEW IT! 


	9. This year's love

ME: Chapter nine, hurrah!  
  
JESUS, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE?! NINE CHAPTERS, NINE DISCLAIMERS, WHEN ARE YOU ALL GONNA GET IT INTO YOUR HEADS THAT I DO NOT OWN ROSWELL! OH, AND I DON'T OWN 'THIS YEAR'S LOVE' EITHER, IT'S A DAVID GRAY SONG.  
  
ME: Very to the point I think. Oh, and before I get down to the actual chapter, something must be addressed. Some people have been complaining (Frequently) about Liz's reaction to Max. These people, nameless they will remain, think that she should be more upset with him and to these people I say; bite me. I never once said Liz had forgiven Max, not once. So there! Uh, well on a lighter note, on with the chapter!  
  
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Road. Nothing but an endless strip of road for miles and miles and miles and...well, you get the point. They weren't even in New Mexico yet. Liz slumped against the window and looked outside. Still raining, damn. It had been raining for hours now, but she wasn't really that bothered. I mean if she was looking for a place to work on her tan when she left Roswell, Seattle probably would have been one of the last places she would go. Well, there or Alaska. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up straight up yawned. Man, this journey certainly took a lot out of you, and she wasn't even driving! Quickly, she stole a glance at Max, still sitting in his impeccably straight manner in the driving seat. How on Earth did he manage it? It had had to be over twelve hours since they left Seattle without stopping for a break once.  
  
Ah, Max. It seemed that every five seconds her thoughts turned to him. It was insane how often she thought of him. And thinking of him led to wanting to let him back in. To forgive him for all the pain he caused her. But then, no, she couldn't. He would never be forgiven. He'd had too many chances. To forgive is also to forget and Max had done some pretty unforgivable things she could never forget. He'd lied, deceived, cheated on her and then some. Damage unfixable, heart broken so many times it was as fragile as glass. But still, she had stuck by him through it all. Love, she decided, could not be discarded so easily like ashes to the wind. And no matter how she tried, no matter the circumstance, she would always love him.  
  
That would never change.  
  
Max watched Liz in one of his mirrors. She was still, in his eyes, as beautiful as ever. Same hair, same eyes. He let his eyes travel lower down her body to her...yeah, nothing had changed. And he had found that in their years apart his love for her had doubled, even tripled but other things had changed too. He wasn't just Max Evans, same old. Roswell high graduate and runaway married father of one. Being a king had changed him, for better and for worse. The things he had seen would have hurt Liz too much, he couldn't have taken her to Antar with him. Love protects, conceals and makes you do some things one day you regret. And because of this, neither he nor Liz would be the same again and he knew it.  
  
Trying to take his mind of this depressing thought, he switched on the radio.  
  
This years love had better last  
  
Heaven knows it's high time  
  
And I've been waiting on my own too long  
  
But when you hold me like you do  
  
It feels so right, oh now  
  
I start to forget  
  
How my heart gets torn  
  
When that hurt gets thrown  
  
Feeling like you can't go on  
  
  
  
Turning circles when time again  
  
It cuts like a knife, oh now  
  
If you love me got to know for sure  
  
'Cos it takes something more this time  
  
Than sweet, sweet lies, oh now  
  
Before I open up my arms and fall  
  
Losing all control  
  
Every dream inside my soul  
  
And when you kiss me  
  
On that midnight street  
  
Sweep me off my feet  
  
Singing ain't this life so sweet  
  
This years love had better last  
  
This years love had better last  
  
  
  
'Cos whose to worry  
  
If our hearts get torn  
  
When that hurt gets thrown  
  
Don't you know this life goes on?  
  
And won't you kiss me  
  
On that midnight street  
  
Sweep me off my feet  
  
Singing ain't this life so sweet  
  
This years love had better last  
  
This years love had better last  
  
This years love had better last  
  
This years love had better last  
  
This years love had better last, whoa-oh-ahh yeah  
  
This years love had better last  
  
Isabel's car:  
  
In the other car, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different. Everyone was awake, and the discussion was stuck on Max and Liz's current 'situation'.  
  
"Did you see the look on Max's face when Liz and the kid came out of the house?" Kyle asked. Michael frowned.  
  
"Jesus Kyle, you gossip like a teenage girl!" He snapped. "And don't just call their son 'the kid', he does have a name." Now it was Kyle's turn to frown.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" He asked, turning in his seat so he could look at Michael.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Liar." Typical Isabel, butting in as usual. "Come on Michael, what's up?"  
  
"Nothing, it's nothing, alright? Just drop it and get back to your little gossiping session." Isabel shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Okay, okay. Don't get so uptight about it!" She turned her full attention to the road once again. "Do you think Liz has changed?" She asked after a while. Kyle nodded his head.  
  
"Yeah, of course she's changed. She isn't as, y'know' 'cheery' as she used to be." He said. "And she doesn't seem to like it when Max gets too close to her."  
  
"Too close? How can he be 'too close' to her? They're married!"  
  
"You know what I mean." He said impatiently. "They're not the same around each other anymore. No soulmate stares or hand holding or anything like that." Isabel and Michael nodded their heads in agreement.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that too."  
  
"Do you think they'll be alright?" Kyle asked, more to himself than anyone else. Isabel's eyes darkened, but she kept them on the road.  
  
"I don't know, but I hope so. I really do."  
  
Not another word was uttered from that car on the subject from that point on. It was as if just talking about it brought what now seemed inevitable even closer. There was no trust anymore. And if there is no trust, there can be no love.  
  
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ME: Alright, alright! So I 'borrowed' the last line from Moulin Rouge. I don't own that either so don't sue me! But do review, always review. For reviews equal power. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Uhh, sorry, I'm just really hyper today! Oh, and in case you're wondering, I am 100% Dreamer and my fics usually have a happy ending.  
  
Review! 


	10. Another damn flashback!

ME: YAY! It's chapter ten! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh boy, I really need medication...  
  
VEGETA: Got that right.  
  
ME: Shut up, Vegeta!  
  
OH COME ON, DO YOU REALLY, HONESTLY, TRULY BELIEVE THAT A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL FROM SCOTLAND COULD OWN A POPULAR AMERICAN TV SHOW? REALLY, YOU DO? WELL MY FRIEND, YOU'RE IN GREATER NEED OF MEDICATION THAN I AM...  
  
ME: Uhh, okay then. The chapter!  
  
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The first thing Adam noticed as he got out of the car outside the Crashdown café and took his first steps in Roswell, apart from the nagging feeling at the pit of his stomach that he really didn't want to be here, was the heat. The sun was shining down full force, and he, stupidly deciding on wearing his thick, padded ice-hockey jumper, was roasting. He glanced at his mother as she got out of the car. Strange, she didn't seem to notice it...  
  
"Well Adam, what do you think?" He whirled around. It was his mother's friend, Maria who had spoken. He smiled at her weakly. Maria was alright, she didn't try to force things on him like his mom's other friends. (Notice, I've not slipped up with the mom/mum thing yet!)  
  
"It's too hot." He said quietly. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Ah, don't worry about that, you'll get used to it!" Then she walked away, his father taking her place.  
  
"How you holding up, sport?" Adam just stared at him. Sport? What the hell?  
  
"I'm fine." He replied, a little more curtly than with Maria. "And don't call me sport. Ever." Max grinned.  
  
"Then what do people call you?"  
  
"Adam." Stating the obvious, but never mind. Max's smile faltered slightly at the boy's tone.  
  
"You don't have any nicknames, or anything like that?"  
  
"No." His father's smile faded completely. He squatted down so that he was Adam's height.  
  
"Listen." He began softly. "I know we haven't exactly gotten off to a good start but I would like to get to know you better." He stared hopefully into his son's eyes. "So, do you think we could, y'know' start all over again?" He stood up again. "I'll take you to some basketball games too, if that's what you want." Adam glared at him. Start all over again? Oh yeah, that was really gonna happen. Uh oh, getting impatient, better answer.  
  
"Whatever." Was all he said, before sauntering off to join his mother a couple of feet away talking to Kyle, Isabel and Maria. Max looked down at the ground sadly. He was trying his hardest, but the boy still wouldn't even give him a chance."  
  
"Well, what did you expect, Maxwell?" He looked up, surprised to see Michael standing in front of him, arms crossed. "A warm welcome and a tea party to celebrate your return?" Max frowned.  
  
"Look Michael, I'm not in the mood for your stupid jokes right now." He snapped. Michael tilted his head slightly.  
  
"Who was joking? I'm serious. What did you expect?" Max was silent for a while, pondering his answer. Finally, he said,  
  
"Something like this." Michael frowned.  
  
"That's bullshit Max, and you know it." He said, so that only Max could hear him. "You had it all worked out before we even spent a week on Antar. You'd come back, Liz would be happy, and everything would all go back to being perfect. It would be like nothing had ever changed." Max stared at him curiously.  
  
"How did you...?"  
  
"You talk in your sleep, Maxwell."  
  
"Oh." Neither of them spoke for a minute after that, not wanting to push the matter any further. Finally, Michael said,  
  
"Are you going in to the Crashdown with Liz and Adam?" Max looked up, surprised at the question.  
  
"I don't know. I hadn't even thought about that." He admitted. Michael wasn't pleased with his answer.  
  
"Well, are you?" He asked him, clearly not taking Max's indifferent answer easily. Max didn't reply, just kept staring at his scuffed boots.  
  
"Max!" His head snapped up.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Are you going into the Crashdown?" He asked again, and when Max didn't answer him he just sighed impatiently and walked away.  
  
"You'll never get it..." Max heard him mutter as he walked away, but took no notice. What was there to get? His own son hated him, his wife didn't want to be near him and his friends...well, there was nothing left to say there. Max didn't really trust anyone anymore. Betrayal, it was chiselled into his consciousness. On Antar everyone was a traitor. Trust, well trust was a word almost unheard on the planet where Kivar's iron-fist rule was obsolete. Max had learned that the hard way...  
  
Flashback:  
  
"Your majesty, your majesty!" The foot soldiers terrified yells could be heard all the way down the corridor and into Max's chamber. He was automatically on his feet, alert, poised to defend himself against whatever the threat was now. The soldier burst through the doors of his chamber, panting and gasping for breath.  
  
"Your majesty..." He gasped weakly, clutching his chest. "Kivar's forces....they're here." Max's eyes widened in fear and surprise.  
  
"What? But that's impossible, no-one knows about this base!" He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his pistol. Weapons on Antar looked very much like weapons on Earth, but with one crucial difference. Antarian guns drew energy from the person holding them, so they could fire a concentrated burst of energy, without the need for any bullets.  
  
"We need to get you out of here." The man said. Max wasn't about to argue.  
  
"Right, let's go." He closed the drawer and walked out, the man at his heels. But as soon as the door behind them swung shut, a cold, prickly feeling began to creep down the back of his neck, making the hairs all stand up. He heard a gun cock, then the voice of the man who'd told him about the attack.  
  
"I'm sorry, your majesty." The voice said, just behind him, and Max could hear real apology in his voice. "But Kivar pays a lot more than you do..." He shut his eyes tight as he felt the cold, steel barrel of the gun against his back. This was it, he was going to die, and all of the battle's he'd fought were for nothing. And worst of all, he would never see Liz again. Click. Safety off. The trigger was pulled.  
  
Oblivion.  
  
One week later:  
  
Max opened his eyes slowly, and groaned. Bright light streamed down on him and strange, unfocused shapes swam before his eyes. He could hear voices, pounding down on his already splitting headache. Everything seemed distant, as if he was floating. Then his eyes came into focus, he saw Isabel and Michael standing anxiously at his bedside, and it all come flooding back. Betrayal, the soldier with the gun, the attack on the base.  
  
"What...happened?" He asked weakly, his tongue suddenly feeling too big for his mouth. Isabel fielded that one, her eyes clouded with worry.  
  
"There was an assault on the base, it came without warning." She said quickly. "Someone inside the base tipped Kivar off to our whereabouts. It was lucky we got to you in time." Max could do nothing but stare at her. Lucky? There was nothing 'lucky' about what had happened. That man, he had turned away from the rebel forces, almost killed him in cold blood. Trust was usually given without any kind of judgement or test. But never again would Max Evans trust another soldier.  
  
End flashback:  
  
Max shook himself mentally. He had tried his hardest to push that memory down to the furthest reaches of his mind. Why had it come back now?  
  
"Max. Max?" He looked up to see Liz staring at him with worried eyes. "Are you alright? You totally spaced out on us for a moment there." He looked at her for a while longer, then put on his best fake smile.  
  
"Yeah, I'm just fine." He lied.  
  
"Are you coming in with us to see my parents?" His thoughts turned briefly to Liz's parents, the Parkers. Then held back a grimace at the thought of what Mr Parker would do to him when he found out that he had gotten Liz pregnant and then left without a trace. He shook his head.  
  
"No, it'd be better if you went in on your own." He stared into her eyes, trying to turn some of the love he felt for her into some sort of emotion and failing. "I'll be out here if you need me." He added weakly. For a split second, he was sure he could see some sadness in her eyes at his decision, but then it disappeared as quickly as it had came. Leaving them hardened against any kind of emotional assault he could muster.  
  
"Right." Was all she said, before grabbing Adam's hand and leading him through the Crashdown's doors.  
  
Later that evening:  
  
Liz's trip back to the Crashdown had gone pretty much they way she had expected it to. Both her parents were happy to see her, but their opinions on Adam were split. Her mother loved the boy as soon as she saw him, kissing him on the forehead and exclaiming to her father how similar the boy was to Max. And her dad, well...Mr Parker was slightly weird about the whole thing. First demanding to know if Adam was indeed Max's son, then looking both surprised and angry when she told him he was. Then for a while he was silent, watching the kid out of the corner of his eye as his wife fawned all over him.  
  
Hmm, she would have to talk to her father about that. Adam was a little too interested in knowing why his granddad seemed to hate his dad so much. Maybe a quick word with him about not criticising Max in front of Adam, she didn't want him to be a bad influence. Hell, she really didn't want her father to be any sort of influence on her son at all. He was too old fashioned, and besides, Adam had Max for that, and more than likely Michael and Kyle too. Especially Michael though, it was as if he and Adam had some sort of silent understanding between them. Maybe it was the fact that Michael's 'father' Hank had never been there for him, and Adam's father hadn't been there for him either, Liz didn't know.  
  
"Liz, we're here." She was immediately shaken out of her musing by the sound of Max's voice. Somehow, in the short amount of time he had been back on Earth and in Roswell, he had managed to buy an apartment that they could live in until he got a better job, but just until then he'd promised her. She didn't really want to go into details about his somewhat suspicious 'acquisition' of the apartment right now though, she was far too tired. So, she was quite happy to get out of the car, Adam at her heels, and follow Max up the stairs to their temporary home.  
  
"Kitchen...bathroom...our bedroom...Adam's bedroom...living room..." Max gave them the short tour of the place, nothing too it really. It was tiny. But Liz wasn't in any position to complain about it now, she had chosen to return to Roswell with Max and was now stuck with him, and wherever he lived. Trying vainly to stifle her yawns, she walked towards hers and Max's bedroom, leaving Adam alone with his dad. Max smiled at him reassuringly.  
  
"C'mon, I'll take you along to your room." Adam 'hmphed' in response but followed him along the narrow corridor towards his bedroom anyway. The narrow door opened with a creak. Max followed his son inside, switching the light on on the way.  
  
"Did you bring sheets?" He asked. Adam nodded. "Want me to help you sort them out?" This time his son shook his head.  
  
"I'll be fine." Max's face fell a little.  
  
"Oh, alright then." He said slowly, rising to his feet. "Well, you know where I am if you need me." And he closed the door behind him. Adam sat perfectly still for a moment, listening to his father's footsteps echo down the corridor. Then, satisfied that Max was gone, he went over to one of his suitcases and unzipped, it, pulling out a couple of sheets and a pillow. God only knows how his mother managed to fit all that into the one suitcase. Maybe she used her powers, he really didn't know. He tutted to himself.  
  
Mothers.  
  
Quick as a flash, he flicked his wrist lightly in the direction of the bed and then watched in awe as the sheets floated over and fixed themselves out on it. That was just an experiment, he hadn't really expected it to work. Grabbing his pillow, he walked over and jumped onto the bed, a small, innocent smile on his face. He loved to play with his 'special powers', as his mother called them and hadn't yet reached a limit as to what they could do. But now it was time to sleep. The day had been hectic from the start and he was very, very tired. Sighing a little, he reached into his bag once again, pulled out a little, blue teddy bear and jumped back onto bed.  
  
What? Even adults have teddy bears y'know.  
  
Meanwhile, down the hallway:  
  
Max lay, still as stone in the large bed he shared with his wife. She hadn't said a word to him since he'd came into the bedroom. He knew that she was faking sleep to avoid conversation, and it tore him up inside. She still hadn't forgiven him. He shifted slightly, so he could look over at the back of her head and sighed. What would he have to do to be forgiven he really didn't know, but nobody could say he wasn't trying. Hell, he'd done everything except beg her for forgiveness, but she still wouldn't give. And her eyes, he shivered slightly. They weren't the warm, kind eyes he remembered. No, they were cold, emotionless, at least towards him. He shivered again, but from the cold this time. The room wasn't very warm, and he'd noticed Liz shivering too.  
  
Well, even those made of ice aren't oblivious to the cold.  
  
Slowly, not sure if it was the smartest thing to do when you're wife seemed to hate you, he shifted his weight so that he could pull Liz close to her to keep out the cold. A small smile crossed his face when she didn't fight his embrace, but sank further into it.  
  
Maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all.  
  
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ME: Whooooooo, evil chapter. It took me ages to get right! (Mumbles something about desperately needing caffeine and sugar.) Review! 


	11. Ahh, the joys of your first day in schoo...

ME: Oy, sorry for the wait. But I've got a lot of homework and stuff that demands my attention even more than my beloved fanfiction. (Shakes head sadly.) What is the world coming to...?  
  
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ROSWELL, I DON'T EVEN OWN THE COMPUTER I'M TYPING ON RIGHT NOW. (WAILS.)  
  
ME: Right, story time.  
  
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"So, what's your favourite colour?"  
  
"Green."  
  
"Cool. What's your favourite, um...food?"  
  
"Pizza."  
  
"Your favourite animal?"  
  
"Tiger." He rolled his eyes as the girl rattled off a seemingly endless list of questions. Were all the kids in Roswell this nosy? Glancing at the other kids near them in the playground, staring over at him to hear his answers he guessed so.  
  
"What about your favourite pop group?"  
  
"I don't like pop." She gasped at him.  
  
"You don't like pop?!" Her voice was incredulous, even for an eight year old. "Well, what do you like?"  
  
"Rock, metal, stuff like that." The girl's eyes widened.  
  
"Oh, so you're one of those kids." Adam frowned at her suspiciously.  
  
"What sort of kids?"  
  
"Oh, y'know. The ones who wear all the scary make-up and wear big baggy clothes. And they listen to lotsa loud music." She waved her hands, as if she was making the point any clearer. "Goths, I think they're called. Most of 'em go to high school but." Adam frowned again, and resisted the urge to correct her grammar. His mother had always corrected his grammar, but he was trying to make friends today, and not show off.  
  
"I'm not a Goth!" He protested. "I just don't like pop music."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's rubbish!" She gasped again.  
  
"It is not! It's much better than all that 'rocky' music you like!" She huffed and stormed away, the rest of the kids leaving with her, sensing that the interrogation was over. One boy, however, remained. He walked over to Adam and smiled at him reassuringly.  
  
"You shouldn't worry about what Rachel thinks." He said, nodding in his head I the retreating girl's direction. "She just thinks she knows everything, but she doesn't really." Adam looked at the boy curiously. He was a bit taller than he was, with short, cropped brown hair and a blonde fringe. He was wearing a navy blue hooded-top, black trousers and white Nike trainers. He smiled again. "My name's Joseph Murdoch, but people just call me Joey."  
  
"My name's Adam." Joey nodded his head.  
  
"I know. The whole class has been talking about you all day, ever since Mr Peterson said this morning that we were getting a new classmate." He glanced at Adam's blue basketball shirt and grinned. "I like your top."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Do you play basketball?"  
  
"Yes." The taller boy's eyes lit up.  
  
"Really? 'Cos we have a court on the other side of the playground, and I brought my ball. Wanna go play?" Now it was Adam's turn to smile.  
  
"Yeah!" Joey grabbed his arm.  
  
"Well, come on then! Let's get to it before the bigger kids do." And he pulled Adam across the playground, but he didn't really mind. He'd made a new friend on his first day afterall.  
  
It wasn't so hard.  
  
Meanwhile, Max and Liz's place:  
  
"Do you think Adam will be alright on his first day at school?" No response. Liz sighed impatiently. "Max!" He turned around, startled.  
  
"W-what?" She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Do you think Adam's going to be alright at school today?"  
  
"Oh. Yeah, yeah, he'll be fine. I'm sure of it." He replied confidently. Liz wasn't so sure.  
  
"I don't know." She said slowly. "He doesn't seem to be adjusting well to Roswell." Max's smile faltered slightly when he realised where she was going with this."  
  
"Liz, no..." He began, but she cut him off.  
  
"No, Max. If he doesn't like it here, we'll have to go back to Seattle." Max took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into s tight embrace.  
  
"I don't want you to go." He said quietly, sounding a child. She pulled away from him, her eyes dark with anger.  
  
"Dammit Max, it's not about you!" She yelled at him furiously. "Why don't you think about someone other then yourself for a change? This is about Adam!"  
  
"You think I don't know that? Adam's my son too, you know!"  
  
"Then why don't you act like his father?!" That did it. Max shut up right away, hurt apparent in his eyes. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, staring unblinkingly at one another. Thinking of something, anything to break the unbearable silence. Finally, Max spoke.  
  
"I've tried, Liz. God, how I've tried." He said sadly, and Liz was shocked but strangely pleased to see that he was close to tears. "But he won't even give me a chance."  
  
"You've not given him a reason to." No Dammit Liz, stop! Part of her brain was now yelling, screaming at her to shut the hell up, before she said something she really didn't mean. Another part of her brain was thinking of ways to hurt him further, and another part was wondering just how long it would take to get to Seattle from Roswell by train. Max's brain, on the other hand, was thinking furiously to find a way to make Liz stay in Roswell, and just how much Michael's new vintage Cadillac cost, but he pushed that thought far down into the back of his mind and concentrated solely on Liz.  
  
"I've tried Liz, really I have. But Adam hates me."  
  
"He's making sense there." Max's face crumpled.  
  
"Do you...hate me too?" He asked her, searching her features frantically for a reaction. Liz was torn.  
  
"Yes...no...I, I don't know!" She yelled, throwing herself at him and busting into heart-wrenching sobs. Max put his arms around her again, his own heart breaking at her reaction. Everything she just said was catching up with him now, and it hit him like a slap in the face.  
  
*"Then why don't you act like his father?..."*  
  
It was true. All the time Max had acted like he was being wronged. His son's reaction had cut him deep, but it was nothing he didn't deserve. He had said sorry to Liz over a hundred times now, but..  
  
...he had never once said it to Adam.  
  
Damn. That was wrong. How could he ever even hope of getting close to the boy when he couldn't even say sorry? Sighing heavily, he just stood there for a while, unable to move and trying desperately to comfort the crying woman in his arms.  
  
A couple of hours later:  
  
Adam walked into the apartment and the door shut noisily behind him. He winced. Damn, that door was loud! Liz stuck her head out from the kitchen.  
  
"Hi sweetie, how was your day? Did you make any friends?" She asked as she left the kitchen and sat down on the sofa where he was now slumped, flicking the channels on the TV. He looked up at her.  
  
"Yeah, I did. His name's Joey and he's really cool!" He said brightly. Liz smiled.  
  
"That's great, Adam!" She walked back towards the kitchen.  
  
"Oh, and mom?" He called after her. She stopped.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said he could come over today so that we could play basketball."  
  
"What!?"  
  
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ME: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Review, or there will be no more chapters! 


	12. What's was up with that?

ME: (Sniffles.) I'b sorry about by lack of ubdates. I got de flu, and by sinuses ah all blocked ub. (Sneezes, and then blows nose with a huge clown hankie.)  
  
CHIBI CHAO: Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get on with the chapter!  
  
ME: (Coughs uncontrollably.) Shut ub you. I'm sick! Disclaiber!  
  
(HIDES IN HER CASTLE FROM HORDES OF JASON KATIM'S BLOODTHIRSTY LAWYERS.) I DON'T OWN ROSWELL! I SWEAR IT, I DON'T!  
  
ME: ATCHOO! (Sniffles again.) On with de chabter!  
  
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After a semi-severe berating from his mother about inviting people over without asking, especially because they weren't even finished packing, Adam cheerfully went to get changed just in time for Joey to arrive. Liz got to the door first.  
  
"Hello, Mrs Parker. My name's Joey, it is a pleasure to meet you." His greeting was painfully rehearsed. Well, after what happened the last time he was invited over to someone's house, it was amazing he was allowed out at all. Let's just say that little Thomas O'Brien's dog was never quite the same again. But Adam was the new kid, and his parents were totally unaware of his...unconventional playtime methods.  
  
"Hi!" Liz smiled at him good-naturedly and Joey noticed for the first time how young she was. "You must be Joey. Come in, Adam's waiting for you." She turned and walked back into the apartment, leaving Joey to follow. He grinned. This would be fun.  
  
A couple of hours later:  
  
Joey was very pleased. Adam had the coolest parents ever! His mom didn't even seem to mind when they got lemonade all over the kitchen after shaking the cans. And she didn't kick him out when they raced his remote-controlled car through the living room, even though it had been raining recently and they'd just drove it through a really muddy patch outside. Then, they got pizza for their dinner, take-out pizza! His mother always insisted on cooking for guests. Even if they were just eight years old. She said she was 'making a good impression', but Joey thought that just letting him and Adam do pretty much whatever they wanted made a much better impression than being all stuffy and 'proper' like his parents were.  
  
So, when his 'escort', meaning his mother, finally arrived, it was with a very long face the Joey departed from the Evan's residence. His mother came up to speak with Liz first and was extremely surprised when she found that the younger woman had nothing bad at all to say about her son. In fact, Liz said that little Joseph was a 'very charming little boy' and didn't even mention the incident that almost led to her kitchen curtains getting caught on fire. So, Mrs Murdoch left the Evans, with Joey in tow, a very confused woman indeed.  
  
Liz watched them leave from her bedroom window. Then turned to her son.  
  
"Well, he was a little more...energetic, then your friends in Seattle were." She said, smiling at him. Adam grinned back.  
  
"Yeah, Joey's fun, isn't he!" He said enthusiastically. "Can he come over again soon?"  
  
"Well, maybe not too soon." Liz frowned and then changed the subject before Adam could complain. "Have you seen your dad today?" He made a face.  
  
"No." Liz frowned at his tone.  
  
"Why are you so hard on him? At least you have a father now, not like some of the kids back in Seattle."  
  
Compared to Roswell, Seattle was a real eye-opener for Liz, who had never lived in a city before. It was noisy, polluted and crowded and Liz didn't care for it much. But then, she supposed the trip from Seattle to Roswell was as much a shock for Adam, if not even more so. He had become accustomed to the loudness of a big city than the quietness of some backwoods town only famous for aliens crashing in 1947. But Liz had never been so happy to be home. It was nice to be back in Roswell, even if her grip on her life was slipping. It was good to be home.  
  
She was suddenly shaken out of her reverie by Adam's snort of irritation.  
  
"He tries alright, a little too hard." He glanced up at his mother briefly, before turning to stare out of the window overlooking the street outside. "I'm sick of all his apologising and stuff."  
  
"Give him a break, Adam. He's put so much effort into getting to know you, and you just keep pushing him away. Can't you forgive him, even just a little?"  
  
"Don't want to." Liz grinned.  
  
"Don't you lie to me, Adam Evans." She said in a mock-severe tone. "I know you love him really. He is your father afterall."  
  
"I do not!" He said, but without as much self-assurance. "I don't."  
  
"Alright, fine. You don't." He glared up at his mother suspiciously.  
  
"What are you getting at?" He asked slowly. She shrugged.  
  
"Hey, you said it, not me." She said, and then walked away. Adam watched her leave the room, a frown still on his face.  
  
"I don't."  
  
But even he doubted that now.  
  
Later!:  
  
Max frowned in irritation as he slammed the front door behind him and strode into the flat. He didn't even raise a smile when Liz approached him and actually attempted to start a conversation with him. She didn't do that often anymore.  
  
"How was your day, find a job?" She asked him, smiling. He just glowered at her cheerfulness.  
  
"No."  
  
"Did you find anything at all?"  
  
"No." And on that note, he walked into their bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Liz stared after him in amazement. What was up with that?  
  
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ME: (Sneezes again, loud.) Aw, dabbit! I hate 'dis cold! But adyway, I apologise for de shortness ob 'dis chapter. De next one will be longer, I probise!  
  
CHIBI CHAO: I do apologise for this, apparently her flu makes her totally unable to form coherent sentences. But review anyway! 


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